Joule's cycle

proper noun

The cycle for the air engine proposed by Joule. In it air is taken by a pump from a cold chamber and compressed adiabatically until its pressure is equal to that of the air in a hot chamber, into which it is then delivered, thereby displacing an equal amount of hot air into the engine cylinder. Here it expands adiabatically to the temperature of the cold chamber into which it is finally exhausted. This cycle, reversed, is used in refrigeration.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper noun
  1. natural sciencesThe cycle for the air engine proposed by Joule. In it air is taken by a pump from a cold chamber and compressed adiabatically until its pressure is equal to that of the air in a hot chamber, into which it is then delivered, thereby displacing an equal amount of hot air into the engine cylinder. Here it expands adiabatically to the temperature of the cold chamber into which it is finally exhausted. This cycle, reversed, is used in refrigeration.
Cite this entry
APA

Joule's cycle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Joule's%20cycle

MLA

“Joule's cycle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Joule's%20cycle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Joule's cycle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Joule's%20cycle.

Source: Joule's cycle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.